Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

समाः पञ्च स्थिता तत्र ओङ्कारेऽमरकण्टके । उदग्याम्येषु तीर्थेषु तीर्थात्तीर्थं जगाम सा

Transliteration

samāḥ pañca sthitā tatra oṅkāre'marakaṇṭake | udagyāmyeṣu tīrtheṣu tīrthāttīrthaṃ jagāma sā

Translation

Elle demeura là cinq années, à Oṅkāra et à Amarakāṇṭaka. Puis, parmi ces tīrtha du septentrion, elle alla de gué sacré en gué sacré.

Word by Word

• samāḥ: years
• samāḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• pañca: five
• pañca: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcan (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषण; समास/विभक्ति-रहित, ‘समाः’ इति विशेष्यस्य संख्या

• sthitā: stayed, remained
• sthitā: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धाातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘स्थित’ = remained/stayed

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• oṅkāre: at Oṅkāra (Om-kāra place)
• oṅkāre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṅkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• amarakaṇṭake: at Amarakantaka
• amarakaṇṭake: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amarakaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• udagyāmyeṣu: in the northern (ones)
• udagyāmyeṣu: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udagyāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन; ‘तīrtheṣu’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण (northern)

• tīrtheṣu: in the sacred fords/holy places
• tīrtheṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन

• tīrthāt: from (one) tīrtha
• tīrthāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• tīrtham: to (another) tīrtha
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sā: she
• sā: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Oṅkāra (Omkareshvara) and Amarakāṇṭaka (as pilgrimage stations)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone devoted woman-pilgrim, travel-worn yet serene, pauses at Omkareshvara’s island-temple and later at the forested heights of Amarakantak; a map-like sense of northward tīrtha-circuit is implied as she departs from one ford to the next.

Characters & Entities

• Oṅkāra (Omkareshwar)
• Amarakāṇṭaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa praises sustained tapas and systematic tīrtha-yātrā—dwelling at key sites and then visiting many holy fords.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Oṅkāra (Omkareshwar) and Amarakāṇṭaka, both major nodes in the Revā (Narmadā) sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practice of tīrtha-yātrā and prolonged residence (niyama) at renowned sacred places.